11 Aug SHOFTIM: NO WORRIES

The pesukim with
Rashi’s commentary
in Parashas
Shoftim describe
the terrifying
experience Bnei
Yisroel may
encounter when
they go to war
against their enemy.
Rashi (20:3) writes,
“[The opposing
army] clash their cymbals, make their
horses gallop and neigh loudly, they
shout and blow horns.” These aren’t
minor matters. They fill a person’s heart
with fear.
Furthermore, the Torah states, Am Rav
Mimcha, “a people more numerous than
you.” We are outnumbered when we go
out to war.
To top things off, the passuk states
L’milchama Al Oyvecha and Rashi
writes, “Consider the opposing side to
be your enemies. Don’t have compassion

on them because they won’t have
compassion on you.”
The description of war seemed to be
petrifying. There were frightening
sounds, massive numbers, and barbarous
nations. Yet the Torah urges us (20:1-
3) “Don’t be afraid of them, because
Hashem, your G-d, is with you Who
brought you up out of the land of
Mitzrayim. Don’t be fearful, don’t panic,
and don’t break before them because
Hashem your G-d, is going with you to
fight the wars to save you.”
Rashi writes, “They come with the
strength of man, and you come with the
power of Hashem.”
Am Rav Mimcha, Rashi writes, “To
your eyes, they are a large nation, but in
My eyes, they aren’t a large nation. Sus
V’rachov, I consider them as though they
have just one horse.”
When Klal Yisrael is courageous and
fearless because it trusts in Hashem, they
will win the war. But when they don’t
trust in Hashem’s strength, they are at
risk.

The Rabbeinu Yonah (Shaarei Teshuvah
3:32) says that this lesson isn’t only
regarding war. He writes, “The Torah
is telling us that if one sees trouble
approaching, his heart should rely on
Hashem’s salvation.” So, if one is worried
about his parnassah, he should trust in
Hashem. If he is concerned about finding
a shidduch, he should trust Hashem. The
same applies to health issues and all
other kinds of problems. One should be
fearless and worry-free because he trusts
in Hashem, and Hashem will save him.
The problems seem tremendous
and overwhelming, but remember,
Hashem is greater than the problems, and
He can free you from all your troubles.
Concerning war, the Torah (20:1)
reminds us that Hashem took us out of
Mitzrayim, and He will save us now, as
well. We should similarly think about the
numerous times Hashem saved us in the
past, and that will strengthen our hearts
to trust in Hashem to save us from the
issues we deal with in the present.”
In Brisk, the non-religious put on a play
(ch.20) to show how Yidden go out to
war (based on ch.20 in this week’s
parashah). Someone stood before the
soldiers and announced, “Whoever
built a home and didn’t yet live in it
should return home and not go to war.”
Some of the soldiers left the troop.
Then the man announced to the
soldiers, “Whoever planted a vineyard
and didn’t yet eat its fruits should
return home,” and a few more soldiers
left.
Finally, the man announced, “Whoever
is afraid should go home,” and
everyone ran home. Only two older,
bent-over men remained. Each of them
was honoring the other one to take the
first shot.
The morning after the play was
performed, the religious Yidden in
Brisk were very upset as the play was
intended to poke fun at the Torah. The
Brisker Rav saw the commotion in
his beis midrash and inquired about
it. They told him about the chillul
Hashem caused by the play. The
Brisker Rav replied, “Everything they
showed in the play was true. The only
part they left out was to show how the
two elderly men won the war!”
Those afraid of war were told to
go home from the battlefield. What
were they afraid of? Rashi states two
explanations:

(1)Rebbi Akiva explains, “He cannot
stand in the closed ranks of battle and
look upon a drawn sword.” In other
words, he is afraid of war.
(2)Rebbi Yosi HaGlili says that the
passuk refers to someone afraid of his
aveiros, that because of his sins, he may
die at war.
The Gemara (Sotah 44.) says, even if
someone spoke between tefillin shel yad
and tefillin shel rosh he can return home.
This aveirah is enough reason to be afraid
of war, and he may return home.
However, a few pesukim earlier (20:3),
the officer who speaks to the nation
begins with the words Shema Yisrael,
“Listen Yisrael.” Rashi writes, “Even if
you have no merit other than that you say
the Shema, you are worthy that Hashem
will save you.”
The Kotzker zt’l (Siach Sarfei Kodesh,
end of Shoftim) asks that there seems to
be a contradiction. One source says that
for the slightest aveirah, like speaking
between putting on the tefillin shel yad
and tefillin shel rosh one can leave the
war, and one source says that just one
merit is enough to win the war. So, which
one is it? Does one need perfection to
merit winning the war, or does one need
just one merit?
The Kotzker replies: There are two ways
to win a war. You can win with perfection
when you don’t have any aveiros, and
you can win a war with bitachon. If the
nation has bitachon, the merit of saying
the Shema is sufficient, and they will win
the war. If they lack bitachon, they need
to be perfect in their deeds, and then they
will win their battles.
This lesson can be applied to all yeshuos
that one needs in life. If he has bitachon,
he doesn’t need many mitzvos and merits.
The merit of bitachon is so great that he
will receive his salvation.